The Official #20 Tennessee vs. Tennessee State Game Thread, 7:00 PM ET, SEC Network+

#179
#179
Looking forward to next week to seek how we measure up. Wish we were at full strength as these are all potential signature wins for us. The SEC isn't stacking up that well this year against Power conference teams thus far.

One thing we know for certain. Both Gillespie's (currently at 30 minutes) and Ament's (currently at 26.6 minutes) are going up as long as they don't get into foul trouble. Gillespie's will go up at least 34 per game and Ament may be at 32-34, I would guess. And due to injuries, we are set with a 9-man rotation the next couple of weeks. I tend to like matching our frontcourt with one big body and one lop threat/shot blocker on the court at the same time. Okpara with Carey to start with Brown and Phillips off the bench (until Estrella returns of course). Abram seems to be a better fit to start with Gillespie in my opinion. Burg looks more comfortable to me running the half-court offense while moving Gillespie over to the 2G, and despite a low volume he is proving he can hit an open three. Henderson will get minutes too but wish his perimeter shot was falling. If we are getting eaten alive by an opposing guard and we need a better on ball defender, his minutes will rise.

Really is a time for our best players to step up and find a "surprise" contributor who makes buckets as the competition improves. With Estrella in the lineup, we legitimately had a PG, Wing and post player who can score. Going to miss him. Carey or Brown, either have a huge opportunity to make a difference. Just have to look for them in the half-court game and don't rely on perimeter shooting only. Will be interesting to see if Barnes continues to try and push tempo as the competition improves. Not sure he will do it.
 
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#183
#183
CAVPUT said:
True, but 2 key players in street clothes 5 games in. FIVE. Sheese. Will we ever get a break with injuries?
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It’s unfortunate, and it occurred just as we hit the meat of our schedule. Next man up is Barnes approach, plus nobody we play cares we are missing key players. Our seed line may be determined over this stretch of games, Rutgers, Houston, opponent TBD, Syracuse, Louisville, & Illinois. 4 of those neutral site, 1 road game, 1 at home. We will know about our team for sure after this stretch. I’d say 4-2 tops, but 3-3 is a possibility. Hopefully, a couple of guys step up and plays well that is unexpected. Big boy basketball is here for our Vols.
 
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#184
#184
TheMookieMonster said:
Hamstring issue for Boswell. Those are nagging issues. Sounds like he could be out even longer than Estrella.

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if he’s out for Vegas I’ll worry a bit, I think it’s likely with a hamstring they just felt no reason to push it against this level of teams they’ve played recently and rather give him those few weeks off.
 
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#185
#185
Lefteye said:
He’s gonna have a longer leash than Boswell back there, as long as he can compete on the D side. He has explosiveness BB can’t compete with. Imo but Will commit more turnovers than him because he’s so much faster with the basketball. It’s a blessing and a curse for pgs at one time or another.
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I really like his shot aggressiveness and no conscience on misses, but he’s gonna have to start hitting a few to continue having that freedom lol
 
#187
#187
Going to be a fun year for TN basketball - surely some ups and downs. But I'm looking forward to see how this team progresses. They have a lot of players showing some "flashes'. Did about all they could do against Tenn St. other than the 31.5 point line.

I'm here for it!
 
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#188
#188
I believe our starting 5 at this moment is

Gillespie
Abrams
Ament
Cade
Felix

That’s excellent depth with Boswell, Berg, JP, Carey and Brown.
 
#192
#192
TheMookieMonster said:
Well, the real season starts now. I guess it’s time to find out how good we really are.
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With a group this new, we're not going to know that until probably February. The rotation needs to be shortened, a lot of stuff still needs cleaning up, and these guys need more time to gel before we get a clear picture of what this team could be.

I know there were a lot of complaints about the anemic early season schedule, but to me it was a stroke of genius by Rick. With the veteran teams of the last couple of years, playing more big games early made total sense, but throwing this group into the deep end right out of the gate might have been a recipe for disaster.
 
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#194
#194
If we drop a few over the next 6 games, I really hope our fanbase doesn’t freak out. Unlike the last few teams we’ve had, it’s gonna take this group quite a bit longer to completely gel & play to their full potential(not to mention getting our 3rd best player back in Estrella). Going 3-3 is totally possible. Houston, Louisville, & Illinois are all legit final four contenders, no shame in losing those games in November with a totally new roster.

That being said, we could also go 5-1, or run the table. Who knows. Regardless, if we can get healthy by league play, I think this team can be ridiculously good by the time March rolls around. If all the pieces click & Estrella gets healthy, this will be the best team of Barnes’ tenure, imo.
 
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#195
#195
volhall16 said:
If we drop a few over the next 6 games, I really hope our fanbase doesn’t freak out. Unlike the last few teams we’ve had, it’s gonna take this group quite a bit longer to completely gel & play to their full potential(not to mention getting our 3rd best player back in Estrella). Going 3-3 is totally possible. Houston, Louisville, & Illinois are all legit final four contenders, no shame in losing those games in November with a totally new roster.

That being said, we could also go 5-1, or run the table. Who knows. Regardless, if we can get healthy by league play, I think this team can be ridiculously good by the time March rolls around. If all the pieces click & Estrella gets healthy, this will be the best team of Barnes’ tenure, imo.
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If UTsr falls out of the Top 25 the “game has passed Barnes by” legions will be very vocal.
 
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#199
#199
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Good point. But they’re also several years ahead of DeWayne.
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only 2 years and I will be surprised if Brown doesn’t return next season since we’re losing 2 post players. Brown’s recruitment was solid and steady throughout - nothing about him has indicated he’s a mercenary who’s going to flip teams every season - JMO
 
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#200
#200
walkenvol said:
only 2 years and I will be surprised if Brown doesn’t return next season since we’re losing 2 post players. Brown’s recruitment was solid and steady throughout - nothing about him has indicated he’s a mercenary who’s going to flip teams every season - JMO
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People are assuming every incoming freshman is going to be looking for a better deal the following year. While I am sure that is true for many of them, there are also guys who like where they at and want to matriculate with a great coach and program
 
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